The Herschel-SPIRE instrument and its in-flight performance

Understand

The Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), is the Herschel Space Observatory`s submillimetre camera and spectrometer.

• It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 microns, and an imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) which covers simultaneously its whole operating range of 194-671 microns (447-1550 GHz).
• The SPIRE detectors are arrays of feedhorn-coupled bolometers cooled to 0.3 K.
• The photometer has a field of view of 4' x 8', observed simultaneously in the three spectral bands.